Dr Talal Mohammad

Dr Talal Mohammad is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an independent consultant specialising in Government Affairs, Geopolitics, and Strategic Intelligence. He has over two decades of experience in international consulting, working with senior figures across the globe, including royal courts and government officials, particularly within the Middle East, Gulf region, and Iran.

Dr Mohammad earned his doctorate at the University of Oxford, where his research focused on Iranian-Saudi rivalry and Shi’i-Wahhabi strife, leading to the publication of his book Iranian-Saudi Rivalry Since 1979: In the Words of Kings and Clerics (Bloomsbury-IB Tauris). His academic journey includes a role as an academic visitor at St Antony’s College, Oxford, contributing to cutting-edge research on Middle East security.

His consultancy work spans various sectors, including energy, law, health, and commerce, where he has provided strategic analysis on critical projects such as Vision Kuwait 2035 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. He has also authored influential reports on geopolitical issues, including Iranian-Arab relations, US-GCC relations, the US-China rivalry, Chinese-Indian rivalry in Africa and the Middle East, and the implications of regional developments such as the Qatar blockade and the normalisation of relations between Israel and Gulf states.

Before transitioning into international relations, Dr Mohammad earned a PhD in Medicine with a specialisation in forensic genetic anthropology from the University of Sheffield, where he conducted a ground-breaking study the anthropology of the Persian Gulf, analysing the genetic genealogy of Bedouin tribes and Sayyids (descendants of the Prophet Mohammad). He then advanced his career as a Chief Principal Investigator at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Biological Anthropology, leading the Kuwait Wellbeing Project—a pioneering public health study on diabetes and obesity in the Middle East—in collaboration with the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Medical Research Council (MRC), and the University of Cambridge.

Dr Mohammad’s expertise is further complemented by his proficiency in Arabic and Farsi/Persian, enabling him to engage effectively with stakeholders across the MENA region. His deep understanding of regional dynamics and cultural nuances makes him a sought-after advisor and scholar in the field of Middle Eastern studies.